Château d’Arche

The founders of Château d’Arche were a 13th century French noble family. The chateau was founded in 1611 when Bernard d’Arche established a branch of the family in Bordeaux, where he pioneered a new avenue of winemaking in his family. The French Revolution brought about a dissection of the property as it was seized, with several different families taking sections of the estate. In 1925 the reunification of the estate finally took place under the control of Armand Bastit-Saint-Martin and remains a unified estate to this day.

Château d’Arche boasts one of the finest terroirs in Sauternes. Sitting close to the Ciron river, at a point in which the Garonne river intersects, provides the perfect microclimate. Fog from the river intersection delivers optimal humidity that later dries out to concentrate the aromas within the grapes. This”Noble Rot” (Botrytis Cinerea) as some call it is the key to the sweet Sauternes wines, as it forms a grape with intense sugary content to be naturally converted into a delicate syrup in the cellar.

Certified in 2019 for “High Environmental Value” Level 3, the principles of the vineyard are ones of respect to nature and managing all environmental requirements, creating a phytosanitary strategy and managing fertilization responsibly. Horseback ploughing of the vines was also reintroduced into 10 hectares. Each harvest is unique, harvested by hand, sorted, selected and shaped.

Chateau d’Arche Cremant de Bordeaux “L’Arche Perlee”